"Thankful for Surgery Support 2 Years Ago"... Opening the White Envelope Given by a 70s Elderly Person

Received Emergency Living Expenses Support Due to Surgery in 2022
"I Really Wanted to Give Back," She Said Tearfully

A senior in their 70s living alone in Busan donated the entire 700,000 KRW medical expense support they received two years ago back to the local government.

On the 18th, Busan Dong-gu Office reported that a senior in their 70s recently visited the Welfare Policy Division and handed over a white envelope containing 700,000 KRW in cash. The senior told the staff, "In 2022, I suddenly had to undergo surgery due to illness but had no money, so I came to the district office," adding, "At that time, the district office provided emergency living expenses to cover the surgery costs, and I have always wanted to repay that kindness." He then said, "Although it is a small amount, please use it to help neighbors in need," before leaving.

700,000 KRW donated by an elderly person who received emergency living expenses support in 2022
[Photo by Dong-gu, Busan, Yonhap News]

The local government operates an emergency welfare support program that temporarily provides medical and housing expenses to low-income individuals struggling to maintain their livelihood due to illness or other reasons. This senior, who lives alone in Choryang-dong, Dong-gu, is known to have received emergency living expenses due to poor health and limited financial means. A Dong-gu official said, "The senior essentially returned the 700,000 KRW medical expense support they had received," adding, "Staff tried to quickly catch up and return the envelope, but the senior firmly refused and even shed tears as if recalling that time." Dong-gu plans to use the donated funds to help neighbors in need within the community.

"I want to help neighbors in need as much as I was helped" - Warmth Continues

There have been ongoing cases where people who have received various welfare supports donate to help neighbors who are in even more difficult circumstances. In January, a man in his 60s with a severe disability who receives welfare benefits as a near-poverty class resident visited Hwajeong-dong Welfare Center in Dong-gu, Ulsan, and donated 200,000 KRW in cash.

He is a severely disabled person who relies on welfare benefits for his livelihood and came to the administrative welfare center using an electric scooter at the time of donation. The man said, "Having lived in Hwajeong-dong for a long time, I am grateful for the many supports I have received from those around me," adding, "Although it is a small amount, I want to give back to my neighbors the help I have received." The donation will be delivered to the Community Chest of Korea and used to assist neighbors in need within Hwajeong-dong.

Also, in December last year, a senior in their 70s who is a national merit recipient and a basic livelihood security recipient donated money saved from five years of living frugally to help neighbors. The protagonist of this heartwarming story is Seo Jeong-beom (79), who lives in Byeongyeong 1-dong, Jung-gu, Ulsan. He saved 5 million KRW by economizing on basic livelihood security benefits and disability pension.

Seo said, "I have always been grateful for the much attention and help I received from the country and neighbors," adding, "As the year-end approached, I wanted to contribute to helping someone, so I decided to donate." A Vietnam War veteran, he anonymously donated 3 million KRW annually from 2019 to last year. The donation will be used to support low-income residents in Byeongyeong 1-dong.

Additionally, in November last year, a basic livelihood security recipient senior in Jeongeup-si, Jeonbuk, who wanted to help neighbors in need, donated 40 million KRW, which they had saved over their lifetime, to the Welfare Team at Yeonji-dong Resident Center. Despite modest means, the senior is known to participate in senior job programs for their livelihood. The senior said, "Living alone, I did not have many expenses, so I saved little by little. Although I am not well-off, I want to help neighbors in need as the year-end approaches," adding, "I want to donate quietly without making a fuss," and requested that their identity not be disclosed under any circumstances.